Amplify InBetween: Nachiyar, Seacole, and WarriHER Resources

Welcome to Amplify InBetween, where you give you samples with a bit of herstory and a little bit of fun.

In this Amplify InBetween WarriHER Edition, we give you facts and resources, and answer the question of what makes a warriHER. Can you be a revolutionary warriHER off the battlefield?

WarriHERS Facts: Fighting Colonialism and Starting Trends

Did you know, the first Tamil woman to fight against British colonialism (specifically, the East India Company) in India was an Indian queen named Rani Velu Nachiyar? Nachiyar had an exciting childhood. Born in 1730 as the only child of King Chellamuthu Vijayaragunatha Sethupathy and Queen Sakandhimuthathal of the Ramnad Kingdom, she was trained in martial arts and weaponry, and spoke French, English, and Urdu.

Here Are Four Fast Facts about This Revolutionary WarriHER:

In 1772, the East India Company and their ally, the Nawab of Arcot from the Carnatic, captured the Kingdom of Sivaganga, where Nachiyar lived with her husband, the King Muthu Vaduganatha Thevar of Sivaganga, and her daughter. Her husband was killed defending the Kingdom during the invasion.
She formed an army and alliance in 1780 with Sultan Hyder Ali to fight against the East India Company and to avenge her husband and stolen kingdom.
Her army was made up of women. She trained in different aspects of warfare and the art of disguises; the army was named “Uyidal Army” (after a female warrior who saved Nachiyar as she escaped from Sivaganga.
Nachiyar was the first military leader to incorporate human bombing, unheard of in the late 1700s.
- One of her Commanders, Kuyili, was the first human bomber.
- “Human bombing” was the term for when a warrior covered themself with oil and lit themself on fire to blow up the enemy’s weapons and supplies.

Queen Nachiyar defeated the British and won the Sivaganga Kingdom back in 1780. She ruled for ten years before handing power over to her daughter, Vellacci. Nachiyar died on December 25, 1796.

In 2008, India released a commemorative post stamp in her honor. Plays and grand ballets about her life are still performed, and a hip-hop song called “Our Queen” was written about her by Professor A.L.I.

Who Is a Revolutionary WarriHER, and Does She Have to Fight on the Battlefield?

In our introduction post, I mentioned how a Revolutionary WarriHER could be a warrior off and on the battlefield. However, all of the revolutionary WarriHERS we’ve shared have fought on the battlefield for freedom and changed their respective country’s landscape. So I would like to switch it up and introduce a great Revolutionary WarriHER who didn’t fight, instead helping those on the field.

The Great Nursing Pioneer, Mary Jane Seacole

During the Crimean War (1853–1856), the British government deployed nurses to the battlefields in Turkey, not just to deal with injuries but also to combat the outbreak of cholera; Mary Jane Seacole was one such nurse. What makes her deployment interesting is not just that she went there as a businesswoman. Born on November 23, 1805, in Jamaica, Seacole was a British-Jamaican nurse, trained healer, doctor of traditional Caribbean and African medicine, and businesswoman who used her experiences to help those in need. Although she initially went to the Crimean battlefield to ensure her investments for her gold-mining company, Seacole quickly changed her course and decided to stay and nurse soldiers back to health. She applied for the Crimea Support Fund but was denied, most likely due to her skin color. Rejection did not deter Seacole, who used her funds to travel and to set up the British Hotel near the battlefield in Balaclava. The British Hotel was a haven for the sick and injured. With the help of her acquaintances, she furnished the hotel, hired staff, and cared for the wounded, both as a nurse and a cook. Seacole was known to go out near the British bases with her bag of needles, thread, and medicine to treat those wounded in the war.

At the end of the war, Seacole returned to England poor and not in excellent health. In 1857, the royal family and about eighty thousand people in England attended a four-night fundraiser to honor and help Seacole. The great nurse Mary Jane Seacole died in 1881 in London. She has inspired many nurses after her death, especially in the West Indies.

Fun Fact: Seacole was the first known nurse practitioner. There’s a Mary Seacole Trust created in her honor.

What Makes Mary Jane Seacole #RevolutionaryWarriHER?

It’s simple; Mary Jane Seacole used her experiences and resources to help those in need. Although she experienced racism and was denied access to those she wanted to help, she still used her lived experience to assist and heal those around her. Mary recognized the pain others felt and made it her mission to care for people on the battlefield, even when her life was in danger. For that, we thank and honor her.

Check Out These InspiHERing Resources:

Have you heard of Elizabeth Choy Su-Moi, also known as Gunner Choy? She was a Singaporean war heroine during World War II. She is known for supplying medicine, supplies, and messages to POWs. Check out her autobiography, Elizabeth Choy: More Than a War Heroine by Mei Zhou.
Check out trade unionist and Revolutionary WarriHer Emma Mashinini’s book, Strikes Have Followed Me All My Life: A South African Autobiography, about her life in solitary confinement in apartheid South Africa, her activism, and her experience with police brutality.
Do you believe words are powerful enough to start a revolution? If so, check out This Bridge Called My Back: Writings By Radical Women of Color edited by the greats Cherríe Morage and Gloria Anzaldúa. See how words empower, change, and start revolutions.
Check out Urduja, a 2008 animated film adaptation of the legend of the warrior princess Urduja of Pangasinan in the Philippines.
Are you interested in historical fiction and fantasy with revolutionary WarriHERS? Here are three books you’ll enjoy:
1. Sita: Warrior of Mithila by Amish Tripathi. You can watch the trailer for Sita: Warrior of Mithila.
2. Hippolyta and the Curse of the Amazons by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris.
3. Malika—Warrior Queen Part One: An African Historical Fantasy Graphic Novel by Roye Okupe.